Technicalities and Kidnappings
by PickensGirl
Summary: "Dad, please find me." Why has Alexis Castle been kidnapped and by who? How is Kate Beckett involved? I suck at summaries, please review and be kind this is my first fic. No spoilers for Hunt or Target. Character says Alexis and Kate but there will be plenty of Castle in the story as well.
1. Where Am I?

**Authors Note: I own nothing all rights go to Andrew Marlowe and the other writers of the show. If I did own the rights I have a lot more money.**

Alexis Castle awoke in a cold dark room. She had no idea where she was and when she tried to move she realized that both her hands and legs were duck taped and she was lying on what felt like concrete. She did a personal inventory and concluded that despite her limbs being sore from having them bound behind her she didn't seem to be hurt except for a headache. She concluded this could either be from whatever her kidnapper used to drug her or it could just be from lying on this hard floor. The room was so dark that she couldn't see anything. As the weight of her situation sank in she began to panic and hyperventilate.

"Do not panic Alexis, Think!" She whispered harshly to herself. The last thing that she remembered was walking towards the campus library to study for her final exams. She had stopped for a coffee to fuel her studying and then…she drew a blank. She wondered if anyone even realized that she was missing. She had sent a mass text telling everyone that she was becoming a hermit for the next week and she would call everyone when she had hopefully aced all of her exams. She of course had called her dad and told him personally. She didn't want him to worry. That conversation started replaying in Alexis's mind:

"Dad, I will be ok. I just have a lot that has to get done next week." She told her overprotective father.

"I know pumpkin. I just don't want you to get burnt out. Do you have enough supplies to last you through the week?" He asked with concern in his voice.

"Yes I have everything that I need dad. Don't worry about it."

"It's my job to worry Alexis. Can't you just come over for a "last supper" with your dear old dad?"

"Dad, I have to get started. My final English 1101 paper will take at least three days to complete, possibly longer considering my other classes also have projects and papers assigned. Not to mention studying for all of the actual exams." She attempted to explain.

"Alexis! Please, please, please!" Castle said in his toddler voice.

"Dad, I promise you we will play laser tag and have a big feast after my last final next Thursday. How does that sound?"

"I suppose that will have to do. Just send me a text in a couple of days to let me know that you're still alive ok?"

"Ok Dad, I love you and will talk to you soon. Bye dad I love you!"

"I love you too pumpkin, study hard. Bye"

As she came back to her present situation she really wished that she had gone to that dinner with her dad. How long had she been missing? There was no way that she could read her watch in this darkness even if her hands weren't taped behind her back. She was also fairly confidant whoever took her would have taken her cell phone. Alexis was pondering her current predicament when she heard a metallic sliding noise. A peep hole opened and a rectangle shaped light illuminated the room. The light blinded her and she was not able to see who was looking in on her. Then she heard a voice.

"Tell the boss that the kid's awake. He wanted to be notified as soon as she woke up." A gruff voice said as he slammed the peep hole shut. Alexis was not looking forward to meeting "the boss".

"Dad, please find me." Alexis whispered as she softly wept. She began wishing with all of her heart and mind that she would soon be having a feast and playing laser tag with her dad.

**So should I continue? All reviews are welcome.**


	2. What's Wrong With Castle?

Kate Beckett sat behind a mountain of paperwork at her desk. These were the days that Castle usually made himself scarce, therefore she didn't bother to wake him up as she left the loft that morning. She glanced up at the clock on her computer and saw that it read 11:00 am. She had arrived at the precinct around seven, and it felt like the day was crawling by. She stood up to stretch her legs and visit the ladies room. As she was walking back to her desk she saw her boyfriend in her chair playing solitaire on his phone. She wiped the smile that always appeared when she saw Castle, off of her face. He knew that she hated it when he sat in her chair.

"Castle! How many times have I told you not to sit in my chair?" She asked with fake anger in her voice. He spun around from the desk to face her with a classic Castle puppy dog face.

"A bunch…but your chair swivels and rolls. My chair is boring, it just sits there." He knew that the cuter he was the less time it would take Beckett to break her mad façade. He shot her a Castle smile and saw her own Castle smile return to her face.

"Whatever, if I catch you in my chair again…"

"What will you do detective? Will it have anything to do with Apples?" Castle asked coyly with a mischievous look. Beckett rolled her eyes gave him a gentle push towards his chair.

"I am going to choose to ignore that last remark because I still have work to do. Speaking of which why are you here?" She asked with genuine interest.

"What do you mean? We are partners, Castle and Beckett fighting crime like Batman and Robin." He rose to his feet and stood heroically with both hands on his hips. Beckett rolled her eyes and gave a short laugh.

"Yes Robin, we are partners in the field but, you usually retire the cape when it comes to the boring paperwork. Besides you told me last night that you were going to spend today writing."

"I don't always duck out on paperwork day. Besides, I wrote for a couple of hours last night after we "shook hands" and you fell asleep." Beckett knew that there was something else wrong with Castle, but decided not to push the issue until she gathered more information. She happened to glance down at the clock and realized that it was 11:45 am. One of the many benefits of her boyfriend coming to the precinct was that the time always seemed to go by quicker when he was there.

"Whatever you say Castle, I have an idea. Why don't we go out and I let you buy me lunch. I haven't eaten anything since I got here." Castle knew that she knew something was wrong. That was the only time that Kate ever willingly let him pay for something without an argument.

"Alrighty, what are you in the mood for? I've been craving Pizza myself." He knew that Beckett wasn't the biggest fan of pizza. Since they had started dating his pizza intake had been cut way down.

"Pizza is fine, but lets go to Patty's. That way you can have pizza and I can have a salad." He smiled and helped her put her coat on and strolled towards the elevator.

They reached Patty's Pizza Shop right as the lunch rush started. This was a place that Castle began taking Alexis to when she was only a toddler. He loved the ambiance of the quaint, family owned restaurant. There was a green jukebox in the corner that hadn't been updated since the early 90's, and there was both a pool table and a Miss Pac Man machine in the back. Time had stood still in this old place and it reminded him of happy times from when Alexis was growing up. He waved at Patty and ushered Beckett to "his booth" that was made up of green leather and was tucked into a corner. Once they sat down Patty gave them a wave from behind the counter and put one finger up indicating that he would be over there in a minute to take their orders. Maybe he and Alexis could come and eat here on Thursday. It's been awhile since they came here together. Beckett cleared her throat and snapped him out of his daydream.

"Where did you go?" She asked.

"What do you mean? I am right here." He said curiously. How long had he been daydreaming?

She started to ask him what was wrong when Patty came over to take their order. Castle stood up and got out of the booth to give the old Italian man a hug.

"Ricky, I haven't seen you here in forever! Has this one been keeping you that busy?" He asked nodding towards Kate.

"Yes sir, she is a slave driver." Castle responded before Kate could answer. Then she stood up and gave Patty a hug. She had met Patty when her and Castle had first started working together. He was practically part of the extended family.

"Don't listen to him Patty. You know as well as I do that you can't _make_ Rick do anything that he doesn't want to do." Kate quickly retorted as she pulled out of the hug. Patty smiled and gave her a wink.

"I understand, Ricky does tend to exaggerate at times…" He said while simultaneously giving Castle an all-knowing smile.

"Hey, I resent the implication. I do not exaggerate; I simply add color to the mundane." Castle said in a matter-of-fact tone. Both Kate and Patty rolled their eyes. He shrugged his soldiers and sat back down in the booth. With that Patty took their orders and hustled to the old cash register that was having a minor meltdown. The couple had grown quiet as they watched Patty yelling in Italian at both the cash register and the young employee that was trying to help him fix it. Kate broke the silence by finally asking Castle what was wrong, although, she thought that she had figured it out.

"Alright Castle, you are never this quiet. What's on your mind?" She said in the Beckett tone that Castle both knew and feared.

"Kate I don't know what you are talking about, there is nothing wrong." Castle replied with a little less confidence in his voice than he had intended.

"Castle, we have known each other for a long time. Do you really thing that I can't tell when something is wrong with you by now?" She asked.

"Well…" Castle said hesitantly. Kate decided to finish his thought for him. She felt fairly confident that she did know what was wrong.

"When was the last time that you heard from Alexis?" She asked with sincerity in her voice and a soft look.

"It's been three days." He replied with a frown and a lowered head.

"That's what I thought. She sent me a text message on Saturday and told me about being a hermit until finals were over. I'm sorry I should have known that you would need a little more attention." She finished her sentence with a coy smile. Castle also smiled but not with his usual return coy smile. Instead he only gave a soft smile and a quick nod.

"I know that she's growing up but I still have a hard time letting go sometimes. I want to call her so bad that I can't stand it." He said sadly.

"Rick that is completely normal, you're her dad. If you didn't worry I would be a little concerned. Why don't you send her a final exam survival kit? Before my finals my parents sent me a package full of both healthy and unhealthy snacks, Tylenol, basic school supplies, and a handwritten note from both of them. I know that she only has two days left, but that's usually when the encouragement is needed the most." Castle perked up after hearing Beckett's idea and immediately started deciding what he should put into the Alexis's Super Finals Survival Kit. Maybe he would even dress up in costume to deliver it. That would add a personal touch.

"That is a fantastic idea! I'll surprise her with a big basket full of goodies." Kate saw the excitement in his eyes and was glad that she could help. Then she realized why Castle was so excited.

"You do know that you can't deliver it right? She specifically asked not to be disturbed. I've heard you over the years talk about how serious she is about school. I really think that you should just send it to her as a surprise. Then she will probably call you." Castle looked disappointed but understood.

"You're right. Right after we finish lunch I'm going to go out and gather supplies so it can be delivered today." He was beaming from ear to ear. He excused himself to use the restroom and Kate smiled and shook her head when she noticed that he had more spring in his step.

"So much for keeping me company while I'm doing paperwork." She said under her breath.

**Another chapter done, what did y'all think? I think I will probably go back to Alexis the next chapter, but I haven't completely made up my mind. Thoughts? **


	3. Meeting the Boss

**Sorry guys, I know that it has been a while but the end of the semester has been hectic. I still own nothing and as always please review. **

Alexis awoke to the door opening and heard it as it hit the wall with a loud bang. The bright light that illuminated her prison was so bright that it temporarily blinded her. She struggled to make her eyes adjust so that she could look around and hopefully pick up clues to where she was. However, before her eyes could adjust she felt a bag being forced over her head. She silently hoped that her captors would free her arms and legs. They had become stiff and extremely sore from being tied behind her for so long. She then felt both her arms and legs being pulled apart as the tape was severed. However, the relief that she felt was cut short when her arms and legs were handcuffed in front of her. She attempted to struggle against the large arms that held her as she was being handcuffed. However, as soon as she did this she was slammed back down on the concrete. A gruff voice said, "You won't make it long here if you try stunts like that."

He sneered and pulled her up as he ordered her to start walking. She tried her best to remain calm and to take in every sound and smell that she could. Even though her face was covered by a thick material she could smell cigarette smoke and garbage. The handcuffs that were around her ankles made a metallic sound as she pulled them across the floor. She had no idea what all of the pieces meant in the puzzle of where she was. However, thinking about it kept her calm and from doing something irrational. While attempting to answer the many questions floating around her mind she was stopped abruptly and forced to sit in a chair. The handcuffs were unlatched and she felt her arms and legs being tied to the chair. Then she heard a voice.

"Well, Miss Castle I been _very_ eager to meet you." The voice said as it walked toward her and ripped the bag off of her head. Alexis soon saw that she was in a bright white room. It almost looked like an empty classroom. Then she focused on the man that had just spoken to her. He was a tall, lanky man with a five o'clock shadow, and a creepy smile. He started walking around her chair and began to speak to her.

"Alexis I know that you have no idea where you are or who I am. Trust me that will soon be remedied. You see you are a very important part of my plan. In fact you could say that you are the key to making my plan work." He then leaned into her ear and said softly, "Doesn't that make you feel special?" He chuckled and then spun the chair around on its hind legs so that she was facing him. As he walked away Alexis finally mustered the courage to speak.

"What do you want with me? Like you said I don't even know who you are." He turned back toward her and smiled.

"So you can speak. I was beginning to wonder if the drugs made you mute. In answer to your question I just want to have some fun." He said in a childlike voice. This man was clearly unstable and Alexis knew that unstable people were both unpredictable and dangerous. She inadvertently let out a small smirk. She was actually using her knowledge from her Psych class. Her captor clearly heard the smirk and pranced over to her. She immediately regretted the smirk and silently scolded herself.

"What are you smirking about? I like a joke, tell me the joke. Are you making fun of me? Cause' I don't like to be made fun of." He started again in the childlike voice but it quickly turned to anger when Alexis didn't answer him. He turned from her and Alexis heard a click. He turned back and she saw that he had a switchblade in his hand.

"You see Miss Castle, I have been made fun of a lot in my life. But now I am in control." He said as he pulled up Alexis's sleeve. Alexis began to panic.

"No! I am truly sorry! I wasn't laughing at you! I was laughing because you know so much about me, but I don't know anything about you." As soon as she said this she realized that it made no sense. She only hoped that he would buy it. He smiled and put the blade back into his jeans pocket.

"Of course, I have been very rude not to introduce myself. You can call me Mr. Pete. Now I believe it is time to start the ball rolling on this plan of mine." He skipped to the door and gave it a quick knock. A large man entered the room and walked towards the chair that Alexis was strapped in. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of scissors. Alexis understandably tensed up when she saw the blades and began to panic. Mr. Pete laughed and said, "Don't worry this won't hurt a bit."

Meanwhile back at the precinct Kate walked into the bull pen and sat down at her desk. Luckily she had conquered a good bit of paperwork before she had gone to lunch. Unless she got a case she was actually going to make it out of here at a decent time. This made her smile, she really wanted to spend some time with Rick. He became his usual talkative self after she suggested that he send a care package to Alexis. After lunch he had immediately gone to the store to buy supplies. When five o'clock rolled around there were no new cases and the paperwork was done. She decided to give Rick a text to let him know that she was taking off early.

"Hey I'm coming home early want takeout?" She loved calling the loft home. Even though she technically still had her apartment she began to see home as wherever Castle was. When she lived alone she only saw her apartment as a place to sleep. She was never excited to go home. Castle had changed that and so much more for her. She was brought out of her happy daze by her phone ringing.

"Hello my dear detective." Kate immediately smiled as soon as she heard his voice.

"Hi yourself, what do you wanna do for dinner?"

"Well, I thought that I would make chicken alfredo for dinner. Does that sound good?"

"It sounds great. I'm starving and your famous alfredo is just what I need. I'll be home in about thirty minutes." Well she also couldn't wait to be in his arms. She always missed him when he wasn't at the precinct with her.

"I'm glad that you recognize my culinary talents. Hey after dinner you can help me pack Alexis's care package! It is going to be the most AWESOME care package ever!"

"I'm sure it will be Castle." She said rolling her eyes.

"Ok, stop rolling your eyes at me and come home."

"How do you know I'm rolling my eyes?"

"My dear detective, I know you all too well. Be careful and I'll see you soon."

"Alright, bye."

The conversation ended and Beckett grabbed her coat to leave. She told the boys bye and told Captain Gates that she was gone for the day. Then she headed for the elevator anxious to get home. Right as she was about to get on the elevator she remembered that she had forgotten her purse in her desk. She jogged back and the boys looked at her curiously.

"I forgot my purse." She explained as she opened her bottom desk drawer to pull out her purse. Before she could stand up to leave she was approached by a young man wearing a bicycle helmet.

"Excuse me, Detective Kate Beckett?" The young man asked.

"That's me, what is this?" She looked at the manila envelope the boy held in his hand.

"I don't ma'am I just go where they tell me to." He handed her his clipboard and asked her to sign. She signed her name and handed the boy back the clipboard in exchange for the envelope.

"Thanks have a good night." He said as he walked towards the stairs.

"You too." She called after him. The envelope had no return address on it. The only writing on it was her name. Who would be sending her something that needed to be delivered by a messenger? She was about to open her delivery when she caught a glimpse of her watch. "Crap!" She exclaimed to herself, she was running way behind. Castle was expecting her to be home in ten minutes. She put the envelope in her desk drawer and gave the boys a wave. She would find out what was in the envelope tomorrow. Then she began the race towards the elevator and ultimately home.

**What do you think? Please review; it is great motivation to keep me writing. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Escaped

**Sorry for the incredibly late update! I will try and update regularly from now on. Here's chapter Four. The only character I own is the bad guy.**

Castle walked into the bedroom to see the beautiful Kate Beckett in their bed sound asleep. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have her in his life. He almost hated to wake her up, but he knew that she would be mad at him if he didn't. He sat down on her side of the bed and gently shook her shoulder. She moaned and gradually opened her green eyes.

"Time?" she asked half yawning.

"It's nine o'clock. I figured you deserved to sleep. You earned it after last night." He replied with a coy smile. They had an amazing night. After dinner, they went straight to bed and didn't exactly go straight to sleep.

"You weren't so bad yourself. Why are you up so early? Usually I have to drag you out of the bed." Kate replied with a smile.

"I mailed Alexis's care package this morning. I wanted to get to the post office so that she would have it before she started her day of finals. Apparently today is supposed to be a long one." Castle said as the sad look returned to his eyes. Kate quickly picked up on his demeanor change and was grateful when her phone started to buzz. She gave Castle a sympathetic look and answered.

"Beckett. When? Why am I just finding out about this? I know, I'm on my way." She said into her phone as she jumped out of bed and put clothes on. She was still talking when she signaled to Castle that they had to leave. He knew that look, something was really wrong. He followed her into the office and grabbed his wallet. He watched as she quickly strapped on her gun, shoved her reserve into her secret ankle holster, and grabbed her badge. They quickly dashed out of the apartment towards the Beckett Mobile.

Beckett didn't say a word in the car, and Castle new better than to ask. She had a very stern and determined look on her face, which generally meant that she was working on something in her head. Castle knew that he would find out what was going on soon enough. When they arrived at the precinct she headed straight to Captain Gates' office. She stopped just short of the door and turned to look at Castle.

"Listen, if this is what I think it is and if this has really happened I am going to need you to…" She began to say before Castle interrupted.

"No, I am in this with you whatever you think "this" is. Don't shut me out; let me be here for you." He said and grabbed her hand. He knew that she did not intentionally want to shut him out; she just wanted him to be safe. She squeezed his hand and turned back toward the door and opened it. Iron Gates was sitting behind her desk and motioned for both of them to sit down while she finished up her phone call.

"I know why you are here and I am afraid that it has just been confirmed Detective Beckett. That was the psychiatrist on staff at Kirby and he told me that Peter McKnight somehow escaped custody." Gates told Beckett directly.

"Sir, how could this have happened and why wasn't I informed sooner?" Kate asked Gates.

"Honestly, I have been on the phone all morning trying to figure that out. I have Ryan and Esposito also looking into it. However, at this point I believe that we should be more concerned about what he is planning."

Kate nodded in agreement; she knew what this man was capable of. She looked at Castle who had obviously just picked up on what was happening. Their eyes met and they both nodded in agreement. There wouldn't be any rest until McKnight was back where he belonged, back in the hospital for the criminally insane. Kate thanked the Captain for the update and the couple left her office and headed towards the bull pen. Javi and Ryan weren't there. Kate figures that they probably tracking down a lead. Kate looked over at Castle who was patiently waiting for her to say something. She knew that if Castle was being quite that meant that he was really worried about her. She sat down in her chair and started to talk.

"I assume that you have heard about Peter McKnight?" She asked, although she already knew the answer. He was a crime novelist, he knew about more murders in the history of NYC than she did.

"Of course, who in the city hasn't? He was the sick SOB who brutally murdered five young women and left bits of poetry with their bodies. What I want to know is what it specifically has to do with you?" Castle asked determined to get an answer. Kate sighed and ran her fingers through her hair as she began to speak.

"I was on the task force to bring the serial killer down. McKnight was a person of interest from the very beginning and everything in my gut said that he was the killer. My colleagues weren't as sure as I was. I was still a rookie in homicide and didn't have the clout to order him followed so I did it myself." Kate began. Castle nodded. He would expect no less from his fearless girlfriend. Kate took the nod as a sign to continue.

"I saw a van pull up in front of his apartment and two big men got out. They opened the back door and pulled out a giant garbage bag. It was apparently really heavy because it took both of them to carry it. I knew that this must be how McKnight acquired his victims without calling attention to himself. I called for backup and was ordered not to engage. But the thought that he could be torturing another woman was too much to handle so I went in against orders. McKnight was just about to stab her with a pair of scissors when I burst in. Then he turned around and lunged at me, I shot him in the shoulder and he went down. I went to his sentencing and when he was asked if he had anything to say for himself and…" Kate stopped she could still hear his grotesque voice in her head. She once again ran her fingers through her hair and tried to move it from her mind. Castle, who had been intently listening, took her hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"Kate, what did he tell you?" Castle asked softly. He wasn't entirely sure that he wanted to know but he knew that he needed to know. Kate nodded her head.

"It has haunted me for years Castle. I really don't like to think about it."

"I understand, but I need all the information so I can help to keep you safe." Kate saw the determined look in his eyes and understood that he was doing this for her.

He said, 'Oh Kate Beckett you had to wreck it, but not to worry you will one day regret it.'" Castle noticed a shudder race through her body as she recounted those words. He wanted to take her away somewhere safe. But he knew that Kate handled fear by facing it head on. The only thing he could do was to stand beside her and be there when she needed him.

Kate opened her desk drawer to put away her purse and she saw the envelope that was delivered yesterday. She hoped that it was something good that would take her mind off of McKnight. She needed to refocus and sometimes the best way to do that is forget about it for a minute. She emptied the contents on her desk. Castle sat down in his chair so he could look with her.

"What is all of this?" He asked quizzically. He was more than happy that she changed the subject.

"I don't know. It was delivered yesterday by a courier." The envelope contained a picture of a car and an envelope. She handed the photo to Castle. They both studied the photo carefully.

"Maybe you won a new car? A Lexus is a very classy car." Kate shook her head and reached for the envelope that had also fallen on her desk. She was just about to open it when a delivery man came towards the desk looking for Castle.

"Are you Mr. Castle?" the young delivery man asked. Castle nodded and reached for the clipboard.

"Yes I am. What exactly are you delivering?"

"Sir, you express mailed a package this morning but the recipient decided to RTS. You know return to sender?" The delivery guy explained as he shifted from foot to foot. This confused Castle and Kate who had been listening to the conversation. Why would Alexis send back her dad's care package? As soon as Castle handed the man his clipboard he dropped off the package and left.

"I don't understand why Alexis would send this back. It is filled to the brim with her favorite treats." Castle asked rhetorically. Kate could see the hurt that was taking the place of the sparkle in his eyes. She wanted to say something to make him feel better, but she couldn't find the right words. She just returned the comfort favor and squeezed his hand.

"What's in the envelope?" Castle asked trying to keep his mind away from the rejection he felt. Kate shrugged her shoulders and tore open the top of the white envelope inside was a braided lock of red hair. Castle and Kate looked at each other and saw the confusion on each other's faces.

"Why would anybody send you a lock of hair? That is a little creepy."

"I know. That's so weird it kind looks like…" Then it hit them both like a ton of bricks. The looked down on her desk and saw the picture of the red car.

"It's not a Lexus. It's Alexis" Kate said with a quivering voice.

-**Well another chapter done. This is not my best chapter but I had to explain the McKnight back story. Please review and I will try to update soon. Now that the backstory is out of the way we can check in on Alexis. **


	5. Questions

_**Authors Note: Sorry guys, I know its been awhile! But I'm back and I will hopefully be updating on a more regular basis. I hope you keep reading and I can't wait to hear what you guys think! As always the only characters I own are the bad guys.**_

After Mr. Pete had cut her hair he stuffed the scissors into the pocket of his faded jeans and gave a nod to the creature that was apparently his top henchman. She thought that she had heard Mr. Pete call the monster Willis once, but she wasn't sure. As she was debating this the bag was once again shoved down over her head and she was told to walk. Once they had apparently reached their destination Alexis was shoved so hard that she fell to the floor. She was flipped onto her back and the bag was ripped off of her head. The light from the hallway illuminated half of the henchman's face and she was able to discern a few of his features. He was bald, appeared to be about her dad's age and had lifeless black eyes. He began to smile.

"Like what you see red?" He asked in a creepy voice. Alexis shook her head and closed her eyes in a lame attempt to wish him away. He began to chuckle. He bent his head down and whispered into her ear.

"Don't worry Red, I'm not the monster you have to worry about." Then he got up and began to walk toward the door. Before shutting the door completely Alexis heard Mr. Pete's voice. This gave her the chills. Had he followed her back? She saw Willis move away from the door and Mr. Pete stood out from behind him. He smiled at her and gave her a wink.

"I hope you aren't afraid of the dark." Then the door slammed shut and she was once again engulfed in darkness. She didn't know what to do next. She stood and attempted to follow the wall around the room. Maybe there was something in the room that could help her. She was only able to take a couple of steps when something began to pull at her leg. Apparently, Willis had put a shackle around her ankle while he was talking to her. This completely restricted her movement, she was only able to move about four feet in any direction. She got down on her hands and knees and tried the source of the chain. Using the chain as a guide, she followed it back to the corner of the room where it was bolted to the wall. She couldn't see it obviously, but in her head she envisioned a scene from a medieval torture chamber or the Tower of London. This actually made her smile a little. "The price you pay for being a writer's kid."

Realizing that she wasn't going anywhere she sat down in the corner and began to go over what she knew. Thinking logically would keep her from panicking, and maybe it would help her figure out what Mr. Pete's true intentions were. He really didn't say anything that gave her any indication of what his motive was. She didn't think the kidnapping had anything to do with her dad. Even if Mr. Pete was connected to his work at the NYPD, there is no way Richard Castle wouldn't tell everybody about that crazy dude. She then quickly ruled out her gram. Although Martha Richards was infamous for dating "interesting" men, her gram would never date anyone that was this fresh off of the funny farm. Then her mom popped into her head. However, her mom really never advertised that she even had a kid, so that pretty much ruled her out. That only left one other significant person…Kate Beckett.

Actually, if this was connected to Beckett, it would make a lot of sense. Anybody that knows Beckett also knows that she is fiercely loyal to her team. They are her family and she will do anything to protect them. Even if Mr. Pete didn't know about her dad's relationship with Beckett, he would probably know about their partnership due to the press from his books. However, why wouldn't Mr. Pete abduct her dad? Why even bother with her? This was far from a solid theory, in fact it was just a bunch of speculation and conjecture. She shook her head in frustration and stood up once again. She began to pace in the four foot circle that the chain would allow. Maybe she should be more focused on where she was rather than why she was here.

In her head she tried to put together all of the clues. She remembered the smell of cigarette smoke and garbage, the sound that her chains made sliding on the floor, and the windowless classroom where she met Mr. Pete. She paced around and around, asking over and over, "what do the clues mean?" Then she finally stopped when she felt like she was going to be sick. She felt her way back to the corner, slid down the wall and pulled her knees to her chest. She didn't have any answers because she didn't have enough clues. Her mind began to wander to her dad. Did he know she was missing? How would he even begin to find her? She still had no idea how long she had been there, where she was, or why she was there. Then she pulled her head up from her knees and shook off all of the doubt.

"Dad will find me, he's out there looking for me right now." She tried to convince herself. A wave of exhaustion swept over her, but she was afraid to go to sleep. She didn't want to let her guard down, if she did she would be caught off guard the next time the door swung open. However, she also knew that if she was tired she would miss things when the opportunity arose. In her situation the small details could be the difference between escape and death. With that thought, she crossed her arms over her knees and rested her head on them. Just a couple of minutes, was all she needed. Then she would be ready for what came next.

Just as she began to nod off she heard the door slam open and the bright white light blinded her once again. This time it wasn't Willis that came to retrieve her. It was Mr. Pete. He walked into the room and crouched down beside her. He unshackled her ankle and forced her to stand up. He was pretty strong for someone that looked like they hadn't eaten a couple of meals. He turned her around and slammed her into the wall. Her face started stinging from the impact and she felt her head start to pound. Then she heard the familiar sound of handcuffs and once again her feet and wrists were bound together. Once she heard the final click he forced her to turn around and she could see Willis walking in with the black bag. Mr. Pete took it from him and smiled.

"Look at that stare Mr. Willis. If looks could kill I believe we would both be dead." She hadn't realized that she was giving any particular look. But she was glad that her face showed the emotion of anger instead of the fear she felt inside. Both he and Willis chuckled as the black bag was forced over her head. As she was being led out of her prison she felt Willis whisper into her ear. "I hope you're ready to be famous Red."

Well, another chapter done. Please review!


	6. More Questions

**Authors Note: Sorry once again for the late update guys. After class all I seem to want to do is crash, but enough about me let's see what is going to happen next. I still own nothing, all rights to Marlowe. **

"Castle we will find her…I promise you." Beckett tried to comfort her partner with these words and a quick hand squeeze. He gave her a small smile, but the look in his eyes betrayed him. Beckett knew that she would never see the sparkle come back into his eyes until they found his little girl. As soon as they figured out the car clue they immediately started piecing together clues. They both knew that time was of the essence and there were too many pieces that they were missing. As soon as they filled in the boys Beckett started giving assignments. She told Ryan to start checking her phone records and told Javi to search her financials. Hopefully the combination of the two would narrow down the time of the kidnapping. She knew that both of those jobs would take time, and there was no way in hell that she was going to stand around and wait. She grabbed Castle and the two of them headed towards Columbia.

They were just about to knock on her dorm room door when it swung open. It was Missy, or at least Castle assumed it was Missy, his daughter's roommate. Her arms were piled high with boxes which masked her face. She had been a good roommate to Alexis and they were thinking about rooming together again. By the sight of the boxes, apparently something had changed.

"Missy? Is that you?" Castle asked as he took the top box in his arms and sat it down on the floor.

"Yep, it's me Mr. Castle. Just taking home some of my winter clothes so I can bring my spring clothes back. By the way have you seen Alexis? We were supposed to go out tonight and celebrate the end of finals before I go home tomorrow." Castle looked at the girl dumbfounded. How could she have not known that her daughter was missing? They lived together for crying out loud. Beckett noticed that Castle was in deep thought and therefore took up the conversation.

"Hey Missy, my name is Detective Kate Beckett, Alexis might have mentioned me before?" She thought it was best to start this conversation out easy before she grilled the girl on what she knew.

"Oh, yeah, of course. Alexis talks about you all the time. Oh, please excuse my manners won't the both of you come in?" She stepped aside to let them in and closed the door. Beckett and Castle were both trying to navigate through the maze of boxes when Missy pointed towards a clean spot. It was clearly Alexis's side of the room, everything was neat and in its place. The bed was made, and all of her books were neatly stacked on the desk. Castle looked around and felt a tear some to his eye as he sat down in his daughter's desk chair and saw a picture of the two of them laughing together. Beckett chose to remain standing and tried to keep herself together for her partner.

"Missy, when was the last time you saw Alexis?" Beckett began.

"Umm, I think it was like Saturday?"

"You didn't think that it was weird that you hadn't seen her in four days!?" This time it was Castle who stood up beside Beckett and asked the question. Missy was clearly alarmed by his outburst and took a defensive stance.

"Well no, I didn't think it was odd because when Alexis goes into study mode I usually don't see her for days at a time. Plus I had my own finals to study for…what's wrong, why are you asking me these questions?" Castle returned to his seat and turned the reigns back over to Beckett after he saw that his sudden outburst had clearly frightened the girl.

"Alexis is missing and we were hoping that you could give us some information." Beckett never thought she would ever say the words "Alexis" and "Missing" in the same sentence. She looked over at Castle and could tell that he was thinking the same thing. She made the choice not to say kidnapped. She didn't want to alarm the girl anymore than she clearly was.

"Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!" Missy started pacing the room and repeating the same phrase over and over again. Finally Kate grabbed her by the shoulders and sat her down on her bed.

"Listen, you freaking out is not going to help us find Alexis, ok. Now I need you to calm down and tell me what you remember about the last time you saw her ok?" The young woman took a couple of deep breaths and finally calmed herself down enough to talk.

"Ok, like I said the last time I saw her was Saturday morning. She accidently woke me up when she was zipping up her backpack. I asked her where she was going and she said the library. I told her to have fun studying and that was it. She left and I went back to sleep. Like I said, when she studies she basically lives in the library and I assumed we just kept missing each other. I didn't think anything of it, I swear!" The young woman was clearly in shambles and Beckett gave her shoulder a squeeze. She looked over at Castle and shook her head. He reciprocated; they had run into a dead end.

They left the building and started heading over to the library. Maybe someone there saw something that could be useful. They were walking through the snow, when Beckett saw a bench. She led Castle over to it and wiped off the snow. They both sat in silence for a couple of minutes when Castle finally began to speak.

"Today is Thursday. She has been missing for four days Kate. How did I not know that she was missing?" He asked solemnly.

"Castle there is no way that you could've known. I know I keep saying this, but we will find her." She spoke softly and gently taking his gloved hand in hers.

"I was supposed to pick her up today and we were going to have a date. It was just going to be the two of us. Probably end the night with a round of laser tag and ice cream. Kate if something happens to her I don't….."

"Nothing is going to happen to her Castle. I will get her back to you, you have my word." She leaned over and gave him a hug. She hated that he had to go through this and she hated it even worse that it was her fault. Peter McKnight was a boogie man from her past that had somehow made his way into her present. She was determined not to let it alter her future. They stayed that way for a couple of minutes when the phone rang. It was the precinct.

"Beckett."

"Hey boss we got the records." The boys said almost in unison. She pulled the phone away from her ear and hit the speaker button so Castle could hear.

"According to the phone records the last call she made was to you bro, at around 1030 on Saturday morning. Other than that there is nothing out of the ordinary. But Javi did get a hit on her financials." Beckett looked at Castle and he nodded in agreement to the phone call and waited to hear what Javi had to say.

"Hey boss, the last purchase on her credit card was a Peppermint Latte at Java Junky. It's a coffee cart on campus. Uniforms are bringing the coffee cart kid in now."

"Okay, we're on our way." With that she hung up the phone and stood up from the bench pulling Castle with her.

"Come on Castle; let's go see what we can get outta the coffee boy." He stood to his feet and they made their way to the car. They both knew that they had nothing to go on so far and that Alexis was probably running out of time. Castle knew that Kate would do everything in her power to bring Alexis back. This gave him at least some reassurance.

The ride back to the station was quiet and so was the ride up the elevator. When they stepped off they were ambushed by Javi and Ryan. The look on their faces radiated bad news. Castle and Beckett prepared for the worst.

"We were just about to call you. A messenger came by a couple of minutes ago and dropped off a letter addressed to you boss. We dusted it, but couldn't get any viable prints off of it." Ryan said frantically as he handed her the envelope. Beckett looked to Castle for support and he gave the same look back to her. Castle nodded his head and Beckett opened the envelope. It was another poem that read:

_Detective Beckett it should fill you with glee_

_That little red is going to be on TV_

_Go to this address and click on the link _

_You cannot miss it because it's pink_

_Follow the instructions down to the last word _

_Or you will never again see this baby bird_

The bottom of the letter had a web address. Before she even asked Ryan made his way to the conference room to pull it up on the big screen and Javi was on the phone with tech. Beckett and Castle followed Ryan and held each other's hands as the webpage popped up. It was a black backdrop with a pink button in the center of it that said "click here". Ryan clicked and they waited impatiently for the webpage to load. When the image popped up on the screen both fear and relief swept over the team. It was a video of Alexis. They were staring at it when Javi came in with news from tech.

"Guy's? Tech says that this is being transmitted live."

**Well, what do you guys think? Please review!**


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